Temporary base for youngsters with autism in Belper

A TEMPORARY base for youngsters with autism is to be created at the Whitemoor Centre in Belper to cope with growing numbers of post-16 students.

Derbyshire County Council has set aside £12,000 to adapt two rooms at the Whitemoor Centre, Whitemoor Lane, which is already a base for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities. The rooms will be used for the current school year and possibly longer.

It comes as talks are under way with a Derby firm to create a brand new centre for post-16 autistic students on the outskirts of Duffield.

Post-16 students at Holbrook Centre for Autism are currently taught in the caretaker’s bungalow, but a county council report said it “has never provided an environment conducive to learning”.

A council spokesperson said: “Most pupils stay at Holbrook for much, if not all, of their compulsory schooling aged five to 16. The school opened in the mid-nineties and a growing number of its pupils are now reaching the 16 to 19 age range.